44: January 16, 2011 - January 22, 2011

CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- Lawmakers who gathered here for the annual House Democratic retreat may have been disappointed to get no preview of the State of the Union address from President Obama when he paid a quick visit tonight.
They were, however, treated to a display of the president's dance moves.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is delivering the official rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union next week. But, thanks to technology and the tea party movement, it won't be the only Republican response. In concert with Tea Party Express, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is delivering her own post-speech message.

CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Addressing the more than 130 House Democrats gathered at a resort here for their annual issues retreat, Vice President Joe Biden urged lawmakers to treat each other with civility in the wake of the mass shooting in Tucson that killed six and wounded 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

CAMBRIDGE, Md. - As they kicked off their party's annual issues conference Thursday evening here on the Eastern Shore, House Democratic leaders were optimistic that their party would rebound quickly from the shellacking it took at the polls two-and-a-half months ago.

Members of Congress recognized the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's inauguration during an event at the Capitol on Thursday, and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) once again found himself getting a little misty-eyed.

Potential Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum has once again demonstrated his willingness to push the envelope when it comes to social issues. In an interview with the conservative CNS News, he linked President Obama's race to his position on abortion.

Just one day after standing firm on his remarks comparing Republican rhetoric against the health-care overhaul to "blood libel" and the work of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) now says he regrets "that anyone in the Jewish Community, my Republican colleagues or anyone else was offended by the portrayal of my comments."

A trio of Democratic senators has penned a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) pushing for a vote on repealing an unpopular provision of the national health care overhaul regarding tax-reporting requirements for businesses.

Visitors touring the White House at got more than they bargained for Thursday when first lady Michelle Obama and the family dog, Bo, dropped in to welcome them on the second anniversary of President Obama's inauguration.

While President Obama met with Chinese leader Hu Jintao at the White House, first lady Michelle Obama took America's efforts to strengthen ties to the country to students at Howard University for a forum on studying abroad, urging students to get out of their comfort zones, and help to "develop that habit of cooperation."

In an interview in Nevada Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader waded into dicey diplomatic territory by referring to Chinese President Hu Jintao as a "dictator."
Asked about the tax-cut compromise at the end of last year, Reid said our system requires compromise. "I am going to go back to Washington tomorrow and meet with the President of China," Reid told reporter Jon Ralston. "He is a dictator. He can do a lot of things through the form of government they have."

Hours ahead of a planned vote on a bill that would repeal the national health care overhaul, House Democratic leaders and administration officials struck a positive tone, seeking to depict health care reform as a nonpartisan issue and largely avoiding the heated rhetoric that has animated the debate thus far.

Call it the pre-prebuttal.Anticipating a heavy focus on reducing the deficit in President Obama's State of the Union address next week, liberal groups are already attacking the idea, arguing that deficit reduction should not come before further stimulus to help the economy.

As House members took to the floor Tuesday to begin debate on a bill that would repeal the national health care overhaul, the tenor of several repeal-oriented events throughout the Capitol suggested that lawmakers are treading somewhat more carefully in the wake of the shooting in Tucson.

The Obama administration Tuesday dismissed the House's plans to vote on a repeal of the new health care law, with White House press secretary Robert Gibbs saying, "It isn't a serious legislative effort."

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) acknowledged Tuesday that his party has not succeeded in selling the public on the benefits of the national health care overhaul, noting that polls indicate that public opinion remains divided on the law.

President Obama and the first family spent part of the King holiday painting images of fresh fruit on the cafeteria pillars of the Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Northeast Washington to remind the country that King's legacy went far beyond calling for social justice.

President Obama and the first family joined D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (D) to worship at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Northwest during a service that will reflect on the spiritual fervor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Lawmakers discussed the shooting in Tucson, Arizona and the 2012 presidential election, while Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius discussed the implementation of the health care law.